Wagner Mercenary Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is Reportedly in Contact with Ukrainian Intelligence, leaked documents reveal

NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Last week, Russian forces were forced to withdraw from certain positions outside Bakhmut after a Ukrainian offensive in the area.

The Russian Ministry of Defense itself admits that they have withdrawn “somewhat”, but claims that Russian forces have now established “new and better positions”. Prigozhin described the retreat as chaotic.

On Friday, he launched his strongest attack against Russia’s defense leadership to date.

In a video, Prigozhin literally screamed for more ammunition, calling Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Defense Chief Valery Gerasimov “scum”. At the same time, twenty corpses lay at his feet.

In leaked intelligence documents Washington Post has been given access to, it appears that he is also said to have offered Ukraine’s defense information about where they could attack Russian soldiers during the withdrawal.

Store tap

Prigozhin leads the mercenaries of the infamous Wagner Group, which fights alongside Russia and President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. The Wagner group itself is said to have suffered heavy losses in the battles around Bakhmut, which are said to have been among the bloodiest of the war so far.

– Can’t find an explanation

Prigozhin’s mildly extraordinary offer to Ukraine reportedly came at the end of January while thousands of his mercenaries were being killed in the city. The offer is said to have come to contacts he has in Ukraine’s military intelligence.

Prigozhin allegedly maintained contact with Ukrainian intelligence throughout the war, according to the US intelligence documents, which were allegedly leaked in a group chat on Discord earlier this year.

Recently, Prigozhin has also argued publicly with Russian military leaders. He is said to be furious that his mercenaries did not get the necessary supplies.

Confirm contact

Two Ukrainian officials confirm to the Washington Post that Prigozhin has spoken several times with Ukrainian intelligence. One of them also says that he is said to have made the offer to provide information about Russian soldiers several times, but that the Ukrainian authorities rejected this because they did not trust him. They suspect that the offer came with dishonest intentions.

The US authorities are also skeptical of the motive behind the offer.

– This is a matter of intelligence, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and declined to comment further on the information when the Washington Post interviewed him earlier in May.

Prigozhin has come out hard in public recently and appeared very angry and frustrated by the fighting in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. He believes that the Russian authorities have not provided his mercenaries with sufficient ammunition and other equipment.

Morale collapsed

He originally promised to take control of the city by May 9, which is the day Russia celebrates its victory in World War II with large military parades. Recently, however, he has threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from the fighting. The documents also show how Prigozhin was aware of how morale among the Wagner soldiers had collapsed, and that some refused to follow orders.

Another leaked document from the Russian Ministry of Defense shows how they were unsure how to respond to Prigozhin’s criticism.

When Prigozhin was informed that US intelligence documents revealed that he was in contact with Ukrainian intelligence, he confirmed this.

– Yes, of course I can confirm this information. We have nothing to hide from the foreign special services, he writes in his Telegram channel.

However, he does not comment on the information that he is said to have offered information about Russian soldiers to Ukraine.